


This is Your Brain on Persona 5 (Royal)

by jaderezi



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Attends Shujin Academy, F/F, Gen, M/M, akechi goro consumes featherman content because I Said So, akira and futaba siblings :'-), band au, love how that was already a tag i love goro fans, mlm wlw hostility, p5's third-years, persona 5 royal vague spoilers(?), safe yet regretable consumption of melatonin, sorry i only mention morgana and thats it i didnt do it on purpose, tags added as needed, the hubris of fighting games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaderezi/pseuds/jaderezi
Summary: A collection of what I guess would count as drabble that I've written for Persona 5 Royal because I'm just better than writing short stuff than committing to something bigger. Just ideas I think fit better in a fic than a jumbled mess of tweets.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Niijima Makoto, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Amamiya Ren & Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira & Sakura Futaba, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Futaba, Sakura Futaba/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. The Sakura's Roadtrip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affectionately labeled, "Dark Shoutout To Melatonin" in my google doc. Here's the first of multiple shuake-shorts (yeah I like that name I'm going with that) I've written, with a little bit of sumitaba sprinkled in. As a treat. :-) Kasumi-related spoilers are in this one, so maybe skip it if you don't wanna be spoiled! So far this is the only one with any spoilers.

Melatonin seemed like a good idea two hours ago. They were gonna be stuck in this car for a while and Akira couldn’t make a fool out of Goro if he was asleep. Right now? Well, Akira’s shoulder is looking frighteningly comfortable. He should’ve just blasted music the whole ride. “Sorry, Mitski is saying much more important things right now,” he would tell Akira. Not even Mitski can save him now.

Goro tilts his head up against the back of the seat and closes his eyes. Pretends it’s definitely just as if not more comfortable than the soft hoodie Akira’s got on. Good fucking lord. He starts counting sheeple in his head. One, two, three, four, f-

 _CRUNCH._ “Hey. Why are you fucking up your neck like that?” Futaba breathes into his ear from the backseat, food still in her mouth.

“Futaba!” Sakura-san’s voice shakes every seat in the car.

“Sorry,” she replies, still in Goro’s ear, followed by another crunch.

“Trying to sleep... what are you eating in my damn ear right now?”

She laughs. “G... gookie.” Sumire starts giggling too.

Akira finally pulls out an earbud and tunes in. “What the hell, where’d you get cookies?”

“I made them just for me and Futaba,” Sumire adds in. The sweetness in her voice is a dead giveaway, and Akira doesn’t even bother asking for one. Just slumps back into his seat. Then his eyes meet Goro’s and he pops right back up.

“Hey,” he says, quieter, calming, very intentionally charming. “I pirated a few episodes of Featherman. You wanna watch?” Goro eyes him in a way that says yes and no one has to hear. Akira gets it. He takes the one earbud he took out of his ear earlier and puts it in Goro’s. He graces his fingers across the side of Goro’s face when he brings his hand back, and Goro lets him.

His eyes are already half-shut when he realizes what episode Akira’s started playing. _“Episode 42: Sleep in my Arms! Love for love's sake... But what about the battles!?”_ If he could stay awake and off of that 100% cotton shoulder out of spite, he would. But he can’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really just like the idea of Sumire and Goro joining the Sakuras for a roadtrip. I don't know, just sounds very Healing! Anyway, hope you liked this one!


	2. Makeshift Debate Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affectionately labeled, "Mmm Mmm Yeah Yeah" (inside joke, sorry) in my google doc. Here's a little Goro & Makoto hostility! Part of a balanced breakfast! Featuring: shuake and makoharu! Takes place in one of those "Everyone @ Shujin" aus, though Yusuke's not in this one so it's kinda just a "Goro @ Shujin" au. Anyway, eat up!

“It’s Hawaii! Why do you two insist on being difficult about a trip to _Hawaii_ !” Kawakami sighs. _As if it’s her fucking problem_. “Listen. The Hawaii trip only needs one more third-year chaperone. Both of you are equally capable. If you wanna argue that one of you is more capable than the other, be my guest, but you know what that’ll mean.” And without giving Goro and Makoto a single moment to speak, she’s out the door.

“Well, I think your title should speak for itself, Student Council President,” Goro smiles, as if it’s not the thing that pisses him off about Makoto the most. He knows Makoto can see him cracking. It’s probably the worst lie he’s ever told, and told to someone that can see through even his best.

“You heard her,” Makoto replies impatiently. “We’re both equally capable, Student Council Vice President.” She sticks the title in at the end just to spite him and hopes it works. It does. He doesn’t say anything but the cracks in his smile are shattering quickly and the light in his eyes is quickly fading. Makoto’s starting to lose her cool too though, and Goro can see it. Neither of them says anything for a moment-- a little ceasefire-- before she leans forward. She lowers her voice. “...I am nothing more than a puppet to our principle and have never once had true authority in my life. I am hated by our peers and they would never listen to me. You on the other hand…” and she drifts off as if she can’t utter another word or she’ll officially lose it.

Goro takes a deep breath and quiets down too. He speaks through gritted teeth. “Unlike you, I could care less about the little pea-brained brats a grade below us. I couldn’t give a shit about a majority of the school’s population. A corpse would chaperone better than me.”

Makoto finally raises her voice. “Oh, as if you can’t feign compassion-”

She hears two knocks behind her. The two of them look at the door, eyes wide. “Mako-chan?” Their eyes go wider. Makoto goes pink, and Goro makes a face at her.

“Haru! Come in.” _She sounds embarrassingly sweet,_ Goro thinks. _I sound embarrassingly sweet,_ Makoto thinks.

Haru walks in and behind her comes the transfer student, Akira Kurusu. Makoto doesn’t know him, but Goro does, and he knows him well. She can tell by the way his smile falters for a split second.

“Oh, you’re Kurusu-kun, correct?” She looks over at him to see him staring Goro dead in the eyes, with a big smile on his face, before he turns to look at Makoto.

“That’s me,” He answers with a different smile before turning back to eye Goro again with the same smile from before. “Hey, Akechi.” 

“Hi,” Goro replies curtly. “What brings the two of you here.”

“Oh!” Haru smiles. “Well, I agreed to chaperone for the trip to Hawaii and--” She places her hand on Akira’s shoulder and both Goro and Makoto stare intensely. “--the both of us were wondering if you two were going.”

“I’m going,” Makoto and Goro say in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write them good? Does this fill the hostility quota? For real though, I hope you liked this! :-)


	3. Sitcom Sub-plot With the Third-Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affectionately labeled, "Thanks Zana" in my google doc. Here's a gen fic brought to you by Zana @shedisease on twitter. I really wanted to write something and so Zana told me to write, and I quote, “the funny sitcom episode B-plot of futaba locking the third years up in a room with smash or some other fighting game after getting them hooked on it” so that's what I wrote.

“What is this?” Goro says more than asks impatiently.

“Ultimax Arena 4 Persona,” Futaba replies.

“Are we going to play it?” Haru asks much more kindly.

“Mhm,” Futaba adds.

“Is this the “urgent meeting” Akira told us to come to?” Makoto asks somewhere between impatient and kind.

“Yup,” Futaba adds one more time.

The third-years all make their own noise of moderate to severe disapproval. Tightly crowded in Futaba’s room, they’re all looking up at one of the monitors above her computer. A gameplay demo comes up on screen after a while. “Why are you doing this Futaba?” Makoto asks with exasperation.

“Oh come on, it’s a team-building exercise! I thought at least two-thirds of you would like that.”

“With Akechi, though?” Haru says less delicate than usual, to no one’s surprise.

“And,” Goro butts in, not even swayed by the previous comment, “I think fighting games tend to do the opposite.”

Futaba waves a dismissive hand at him. “Just try it!” She hands Haru and Goro remotes. “Just take turns.” And with that, she’s placed herself in front of the door with her laptop, noise-canceling headphones already in.

“Well, it does seem like it could be a nice stress reliever if nothing else...” Haru comments. Makoto and Goro sigh and resign themselves to this for the afternoon.

* * *

“Hey,” Akira says, peeking into Futaba’s room a few hours later, then, eyes widening, opens the door fully. “What the fuck?”

“SHUT UP, AKIRA!” he hears, and almost has to make sure he didn’t just get on a first name basis with Akechi and that it was actually Haru who just screamed at him like that. Makoto takes a step towards him and smacks her finger on his mouth.

A moment later, Haru giggle’s cutely in delight. The screen above Futaba’s computer says, “PLAYER 2 WINS” and beneath it, Goro sits in her chair, controller dropped in his lap and fingers stretched out like if they tensed shut around anything there would be damage.

Akira’s eyes catch Futaba sitting on her bed, headphones in. When he moves closer, he can hear the music blasting from them. He picks them up off her head. “Hey, you’re gonna damage your ears really bad like that.”

“They’re gonna get damaged really bad either way.”

“Aw, Haru’s not  _ that _ loud...”

Futaba gives him a look. “You haven’t heard Makoto and Akechi play.”

“Looks like I’m about to...”

“Oh god,” and she snatches the headphones back out of his hands and puts them only urgently. Not a moment too soon, Akira realizes why, and off he goes, digging around her room for another pair of noise-canceling headphones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really fun to write, and I hope it was just as fun to read. That's all. Thank you. :-)


	4. Two Gigs One Fruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affectionately labeled, "Löded Diper" in my google doc. Here's a band au shuake-short with a little bit of chat-fic hubris. Love me a chatfic! Also mildly (severely) inspired by Rokuro Saito's art of the Phantom Thieves playing instruments! Simply could not help myself! Here's hoping the chat part isn't too hard to read.

**futaba:** hey where tf is akira

**RYUJI:** wouldnt you know?? you guys are  
basically like brother and sister

**ann ♡:** maybe he’s on a date~

**futaba:** who is giving even giving that  
catboy the time of day?

wtf im our vocalist. EVERYONE is  
giving me the time of day

 **futaba:** our vocalist who isn’t home when  
i need his voice for mixing samples!!!!

**Kitagawa Yusuke:** I did see him chatting with that  
detective character last week. Perhaps  
hes on a date with him

YUSUKE…

 **futaba:** wtf????????

**RYUJI:** WTF

**ann ♡:** lol

im NOT on a date with akechi. i  
have better taste in men than that

 **Makoto:** Apparently it’s not that much better  
considering the fact that you talk to that,  
“character” as Yusuke put it, in the first place.

lmao well hello to you too makoto

 **futaba:** well if you're not on a date then where!!!  
are!!! you!!!

im @ a part time job

 **futaba:** booooo i hate when people do  
productive things cause then i can't be mad

**ann ♡:** ooo where are you working?

thats a secret im not letting you  
guys embarrass me

 **RYUJI:** maid cafe

**futaba:** AFSDGHJFSHGJ RYUJI???

awww you got me

 **Kitagawa Yusuke:** Really?

no that was a joke sorry

 **Kitagawa Yusuke:** Disappointing...

...sorry king

 **futaba:** anyway who is gonna do these vocal  
samples for me then??

morgana :)

 **futaba:** oh yeah for sure. the phantom thieves’  
cover of k.k. Bubblegum

🐰 **Haru:** heehee

heehee

 **RYUJI:** wawowehwehwawawawaaa

ok is that all futaba? i gotta get back  
to work unfortunately

 **futaba:** ugh yeah go get paid or whatever

**ann ♡:** go get that band t-shirt money!!!!!!

ofc

* * *

A low blare of a trumpet rings in Akira’s ear, quickly wiping the smile off his face. “Sounded a little flat,” He lies, but smoothly. Goro scoffs as he takes Akira by the chin with a gloved hand and turns his head to make eye contact.

“Better taste in men, huh?”  
“You don’t know why I took this job.”

“Yes I do.” He runs the same hand through Akira’s hair. It’d be a lot hotter if the fabric of the glove didn’t rub so awkwardly against his scalp.

Goro turns tail and heads towards the door, then turns back to look at Akira. “We’re on in ten. Are you warmed up?”

“Aaaaaaahhhh~” Akira clasps a hand over his mouth when it sounds worse than he expected it to. Goro wrinkles his nose at him.

“I don’t even know why I agreed to do this with you.”

“Yes you do.”

Goro’s eyes widen for a moment and if Akira could tell anyone about tonight he’d swear he saw pink on those cheeks, but then he blinks and Goro’s gone back to looking annoyed. He pulls the trumpet back up to his mouth and blares a note-- one that actually _is_ flat this time-- of frustration. “Do _not_ make a fool out of me here.”

“At your favorite club? Wouldn’t dream of it.” Akira stretches out of his chair and walks over to Goro, singing softly. _People come and they go..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REAL SHUAKE? CRINGE! ANYWAYS... hopefully what I was trying to convey for this au is, well... conveyed. Basically, Akira is the singer for his band, but also does gigs with Goro at the Jazz Jin to gayly spend time with him without doing anything that would count as dating. Sounds funny when I put it that way but that's what my brain thought up. Hope you liked it.


End file.
